More input needed on restrictive pawnshop revisions

Posted: Friday, April 16, 1999

The Athens-Clarke Commission acted with appropriate caution recently when it tabled a vote on changes in an ordinance governing the operation of pawnshops here.

Police Chief Jack Lumpkin and County Manager Al Crace had recommended enactment of some significant changes in the law. But protests by shop owners convinced the commissioners to delay action until police and pawnshop proprietors can iron out their differences.

On the surface, the proposed revisions appear to have the potential to curb criminal activity while improving efficiency and saving money in the Police Department.

At the heart of the changes is a computer program designed to gather more details on pawnshop transactions, speed up the transfer of information to law enforcement agencies and to enable police to recover stolen merchandise faster.

A new system made possible by the new ordinance would reduce police manpower needed to keep tabs on transactions at pawnshop where burglars and thieves sometimes go in an effort to get cash for purloined merchandise.

But from the owners' point of view, the requirements of the ordinance could increase the costs of doing business, extend the time required to complete transactions and possibly drive away legitimate clients put off by some of the provisions of the law.

Among those are requirements that a person pawning items show a picture ID and provide name, address, race, date of birth, Social Security number, weight and height and then pose for a mug shot that would be kept in the pawnbroker's file for five years.

Businesses that don't have a computer would have to purchase one in order to participate in the electronic filing of daily reports on transactions. Those who don't would have to pay a $5 fee for every transaction reported to police.

The reporting of such transactions are common practice, but currently, an officer visits each pawn shop at least once a week to pick up that paperwork at no cost to shop owners.

Instead of the 10 days a pawned item is presently held, the new ordinance would require them to be held for 30 days and each item not redeemed would be assigned a tracking number to aid police in the event the item turns out to have been stolen.

Police say they believe the costs of the new system using the ``PawnFile 2000'' software could be ``little or nothing'' since many shop owners already have computers or can easily obtain them, and many already have cameras. Those who don't could purchase a reconditioned camera to meet system requirements at a cost of $700 and then pay $40 to $60 a month to process and store photos.

For their part, police estimate it will cost them $13,100 to purchase the PawnFile 2000 system, a $100 annual license fee, $1,920 in one-time start-up costs and $5,500 a year to maintain and support one networked personal computer.

The Police Department currently budgets more than $39,000 a year for a detective to work the pawnshop detail.

Obviously, there are advantages in savings of time and money for the Police Department, and the instant reporting of transactions, along with detailed information and pictures of those hocking items, will discourage criminals and greatly facilitate the recovery of merchandise and apprehension of lawbreakers.

The system already is in use by the Atlanta Police Department, and the Cobb County Police Department has purchased the computer program.

Aside from the costs and burden the new regulations place on pawnshop owners, there are nagging concerns about privacy and government intrusion here along with questions about fairness, since jewelry stores, flea markets and others who buy and sell used merchandise would not be subjected to the same restrictions as the pawnshops.

Like the members of the Athens-Clarke Commission, we'd like to hear more discussion about this proposal before it becomes law.